Memorial Day

When I was younger, I looked forward to Memorial Day for many reasons. It was the beginning of summer, it meant a long weekend away from work and usually a road trip of some sort. Of course I knew the real meaning of Memorial Day, but like many people, the loss it signified seemed far away...

For Memorial Day 2007, I went to visit a friend in Santa Barbara, CA. It was a really fun trip. We went to the beach, went to some really fun bars in the city and went to the Long Beach aquarium. 

A few days later I was watching the news with my brother. I started to walk upstairs when they said that a local soldier had been killed in Afghanistan. They said that the soldier's name was Jesse Blamires. As soon as I heard it I was in shock. I ran back down the stairs and fell on the floor in front of the TV. They showed the story and flashed his picture on the screen. It was him. My friend was gone. 

I had known Jesse years before from working at a call center for Sprint. We were on the same team and we got along immediately. I remember him helping me at work, us hanging out on the weekends sometimes and him showing me what he knew of Capoeira. I remember thinking how glad I was to know him because we were so different and I learned so much from him. 

I hadn't spoken to Jesse in years but the knowledge of his death hit me very hard. I knew that he had gotten married a few years before and now had two small children. These beautiful girls would never be able to grow up with their father. They would never know the great person he was. This just hurt me so much.

I went to Jesse's funeral alone. I only knew him. I didn't talk to his family or anyone else that was there. I sat toward the back at the Ward where the service was held. I couldn't stop crying. I had strange thoughts run through my head like, "Why is there a basketball court in the middle of a church?" I felt so weird there by myself, crying and showing all of my emotions so freely. I realized that it didn't matter though. Jesse gave his life in service to our country, I shouldn't feel ashamed to show emotion for that.

Last year I went to Arizona in the spring and went through my old boxes at my parents house. I happened to find a note that Jesse wrote to me. I must have been having a hard time at work because it was a note of encouragement. He told me that I should believe in myself because I was a great person and I just needed to see that for myself. He also told me that he thought I was a great singer. At the very end, he said he would always be my friend. I am still unable to read that note without crying...

Every Memorial Day since 2007, I have remembered Jesse. I know I have a lot of friends and family that have been or are in the military and I am beyond grateful to them for their service. Jesse is the only person I know that has been killed in a war though. 

So, this Memorial Day, take a minute or two and try to personalize what the holiday really means. Every year I will remember my friend and the good times we had. Every time I see a Transformers sticker or an old Acura Integra I think of him and smile. Memorial Day is a time to remember those who gave the ultimate sacrifice and to tell those who are still with us how grateful we are for their service. 

Thank you, Jesse. I'll see you on the other side...

My Advice To You

I keep seeing these posts on Facebook about giving "Things to do in your 20's" or "10 things to stop doing to yourself" and "100 things I will teach my children" and I started to wonder if I had any words of advice. I'm in my early 30's now, so I've lived long enough to make mistakes and have some triumphs. So, here are a few things I've learned:

Don't forget to laugh

Seriously. It is a scientific fact that laughter is essential to life. In my experience, you need to have at least one friend or family member that you can laugh with until you cry. I have several friends that I am able to laugh with about the most random things like the doge meme, Winnie the Pooh or being dead in the sewer. It doesn't matter that most people wouldn't find these things funny, what matters is finding humor in everyday things, no matter how random. It is so easy to get caught up in the seriousness of life, especially once you start doing grown up things like going to college, having children or having a full time job. If you're not careful, these things can rob you of your laughter and that robs you of your joy. Laugh until you cry. I swear you'll sleep better at night for it.

Travel alone at least once in your life

For most people, this is a terrifying thought. I'm not saying that you have to take a long trip to a foreign country alone and enjoy every second of it. Do something simple like go to a movie alone and then move up from there. Go on a day trip by yourself and see what happens. You'd be amazed at how different a trip can be when you're alone. I've driven across the country by myself twice, gone on day trips alone and traveled for work alone a few times. These trips are so different for the simple fact that I notice things I wouldn't have if someone had been with me. I meet new friends EVERY TIME I GO SOMEWHERE ALONE. No joke, every time I've gone on a trip or even gone to a concert alone, I have left with a good story. I highly recommend this one.

Once you get used to traveling alone you may be ready to....

Get your own place

I understand that this may not be a possibility for a lot of people. Either you got married young or had children young so they're going to be living with you. If you have the opportunity to do so, I definitely recommend getting your own place, even if it's just for a year. It's amazing how awesome it is to have your own space that you get to occupy by yourself. When I lived in my own apartment in Providence, I loved it. My apartment was really cute and I knew that the mess was mine alone. It is such a great feeling!

Try to achieve huge goals, even if it doesn't work out

This one is hard, because it always hurts to feel like you've failed at something. It's all in how you look at it though. When I left Utah, I moved to Rhode Island. It was literally the farthest I could go from Utah and I did it because I wanted to be a Marine Biologist. I ended up going to the University of Rhode Island for a year and majored in Marine Biology. Did I finish? Am I a Marine Biologist now? No. But that doesn't mean I failed either. I learned so much that year and had amazing experiences I never thought I would. I gave it a shot and that's more than a lot of people can say. At least I will never wonder what would happen if I tried...

Don't be afraid to look different

If you want a tattoo, get a tattoo! If you've always wanted to have crazy hair, DO IT! The best I ever looked (in my mind) was the summer that I had my nose pierced, purple highlights in my hair and got a tattoo on my wrist. If you're avoiding things like this just because of where you MAY work one day, stop. I'm not saying to go get a tattoo on your face but you can get a tattoo and hide it if you need to. I've had my wrist tattoo since 2009 and most people never notice I even have it. I wear long sleeves or a bracelet that hides it at work but the rest of the time I show it. I love it. I don't care if no one else in the world likes it, I got it for a reason and I haven't regretted it once. Don't be afraid to be your authentic self.

It's ok to go back to school later in life, or not at all

When I left college after one semester when I was 18, I felt really guilty. I was scared that I was letting my parents down and that I was a failure in life. Guess what? School isn't for everyone! I needed a break after high school. I didn't go back to school for seven years but I DID go back. I always knew I eventually wanted to. Not everyone needs to go to college though and that's ok. Don't let anyone tell you it has to look a certain way. Do whatever works for you. I'm about to apply for Law School in my early 30's. Maybe I will get in and go back to school for another four years. Maybe I won't. Either way, it will be good and things will work out. School isn't everything.

Finally,

Most of your life you won't even remember, so don't dwell on what went wrong

Seriously, think about the last year of your life or even the last month. How much of that time do you remember vividly? Sure, there was probably a fun vacation or you graduated college or maybe you had a baby. Those are all big things and you will remember a lot of details about those times, but how much do you remember about every day? Most of the time we get into a routine and eventually, most days seem the same, with no significant differences, for years at a time. It's nice to feel settled and get into a routine where you're content and life isn't crazy. Don't let the mistakes and bad things that happen take over your memories though, or this is all you will remember in your life. I have been blessed with a pretty detailed memory in general. I remember birthdays (without Facebook reminding me) and details about events that most people forget rather quickly. I try to relive those memories as much as possible so that I will always have those amazing memories. It's not that I want to forget the mistakes, it's that I want to learn from them and move on.

So that's my advice! Take it or leave it. I just hope I was able to make you think. :)

 

Snowman Wreath

This may be one of my favorite things that I have made. It's very inexpensive and very unique. Here's what you'll need to make a snowman wreath...

*Not pictured: Tophat (I forgot to put it in the picture)*

- Three metal floral frames (the larger two are the same size)
- Floral wire
- Six strands of garland (Silver or white)
- Scarf
- Tophat

All of these items were available at the dollar store except for the floral frames and floral wire.

First, take one of the floral frames and wire the end of one of the strands of garland to it. Begin to wrap the garland around the frame.

The larger frames took two strands of 9ft garland. Wrap loosely so it will fit the full frame. The smaller frame only took one strand of garland. You will have some frame that is not covered but this is alright. This small section will be covered by your top hat. The frames will look like this:

Take your top hat and cut it in half.

Cut two small holes on either side of the hat and string floral wire through it. Then wire the hat to the smallest floral frame.

Use floral wire and wire the three pieces together. Finally, tie the scarf around the neck area and hang.

You're done! This took me around half and hour to do and was very inexpensive for such a large wreath. I love it and love how different it is!

Heather

Pumpkin Cake

Do you love pumpkin pie but feel that it's too rich? This recipe is just for you! I decided it was time to post about my Mom's famous pumpkin cake since it's a fall favorite and perfect for Thanksgiving. It's pretty simple to make and delicious!

Ingredients:
1 box yellow cake mix
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup butter solid, 1/2 cup melted butter
4 eggs
1 large can of pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie filling, straight pumpkin)
2 tsp cinnamon
2/3 cup milk
1/2 cup brown sugar
Small package of walnuts (if desired)

Directions:
Set aside 1 cup of yellow cake mix.

1. Base - In a large mixing bowl, mix together remaining yellow cake mix, 1/2 cup melted butter and 1 egg. Stir and press into the bottom of the cake pan.

2. Filling - Mix together large can of pumpkin, 3 eggs, 2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 cup brown sugar and 2/3 cup milk. Pour over base of cake.

3. Top - Take 1 cup of yellow cake mix that was set aside. Mix with 1/2 cup granulated sugar and 1/4 cup butter. Crumble together and sprinkle over cake filling.

4. Add nuts if desired.

5. Bake in pre-heated oven at 350* for one hour.

Done! This is my favorite cake to make in the fall. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do! Happy Thanksgiving!

Heather

Ornament Vase

How is it already the holiday season??? I just did a Halloween craft and felt like it was EARLY! Anyway, I don't like normal Christmas decorations so I'm always on the lookout for unique decorations that I can use. Last year I created these ornament vases and decided to do another one this year. It's really simple to make and turns out very pretty. This should take you around 30 to 45 minutes to create depending on your OCD level (it took me 45 lol).

Everything I used can be found at Michaels or any other craft store I'm sure. You will need a large, glass vase, (there are various shapes and sizes but I would suggest one of the larger ones) various sizes of ornaments and a string of garland made out of beads. (I would buy two if the beads are smaller in size)

Unwrap the ornaments and cut off any metal wires that may be on the end.

After the wires are cut off, begin to arrange ornaments in your vase. I put one large ornament at the bottom along with several small ones since it is difficult to put larger ornaments along the bottom.

There will be gaps in the vase, but that's ok, this is why you have the garland beads. Every few layers, cut a small strand of garland and let it fill in the gaps between the glass and your ornaments.

Fill up the vase with your ornaments and garland. The end result should look something like this:

I used traditional colors this time but it's fun to get creative with the colors you use. I also made one last year that looked like this:

I hope this is inspiring to you! Send me pictures if you create your own! Happy Holidays!

Halloween Ceiling Centerpiece

This is my first creation that I am chronicling from start to finish so bear with me. Please feel free to post comments on ways I could explain better or better items to use. I am always up for hearing of a better way to do things!

So, for work this week, we are doing a day where we all bring in a Halloween decoration or treat for our last Pinterest day. This whole month we have been bringing in different crafts and creations we have done based on things we have found from Pinterest. My contribution is going to be a ceiling centerpiece that I have made with some of my own original ideas and some from things I've seen online. Mostly this is my own creation though. I am also decorating the wall with bat cut outs but I felt that this was fairly self explanatory.

So, the first thing I did was to create the center of my centerpiece.

Here are the items you need for this first part that I call "The nest":
1. Glue gun
2. 4 inch styrofoam ball
3. Two 72 piece Halloween decorative balls
4. Round toothpicks that you will cut in half.
5. Fishing line/Necklace line used for making bead necklaces.

I got all of these items from Michaels except for the tooth picks.

The first thing I did was to get my toothpicks ready. I cut the majority of the toothpicks in half. Only the last few decorative balls I used were with full length toothpicks. After you cut your toothpicks, get the fishing line ready to be stuck to the styrofoam ball. Take one of your toothpicks and tie a knot with the fishing line on the end of it. Push it into the styrofoam ball and put some glue from the glue gun on the end so it will stay in the ball.

 After you get your fishing line stuck in the ball, take your toothpicks, put a drop of hot glue on the end and stick it into one of your orange decorative balls. Then stick the other end of the toothpick into the larger styrofoam ball.

 Stagger the balls around the foam so that it is mostly covered. You shouldn't be able to see any white. If the ball is covered then you can use the remaining balls with full length tooth picks and cover any white that is left. You will get something resembling this:

 I call it the "Nest" because I feel like it looks like a creepy spider nest...

For the next part of the centerpiece you will need the following:
1. Glue - Elmers or Mod Podge. It doesn't matter, you just need to put some water in it so it's easier to use with the yarn.
2. Yarn. I got two different colors that had sequins in them. The black yarn has some purple in it as well.
3. Balloons
4. Plastic spiders

Cut between 20 - 30 strands that will wrap around your balloon 1 1/2 times from your yarn. Then dip your yarn in the glue/water mix. Make sure to squeeze the excess glue from the yarn. Then wrap around the balloon. Repeat with all the strands you have cut until it looks like a web. Repeat with the other color you have chosen and then let the "webs" hang to dry over night.

 The next morning the webs will be dried and you will need to pop the balloon. Carefully remove the balloon from your web and you will be finished. You may need to pull and tweak certain parts that caved in when the balloon popped. Don't worry about it breaking, it just needs to be molded. Use the glue gun to glue the spiders to the sides and let dry.

Let's get this party started!!

I decided to start this blog as a gathering place for my creations. Since I use Pinterest a lot, I have been creating things based on pins I have found. I have also figured out that this process is inspiring me to think of new ideas as well. I figured that since I am creating a lot of new things, it would be nice to show the process so I can pass on the creativity and maybe inspire someone else along the way too.

Occasionally I may post something about my life that's going on, but in general, this will probably be mostly comprised of tutorials on how I have made crafts and floral arrangements. I wish I would have started this a few months ago but oh well. Starting something is better than never starting at all right?

Heather